ReelViews for PG-13 movies

A Separation, Asghar Farhadi's universally acclaimed 2011 feature, is many things, none of them trivial. It's an indictment of a culture in which religion and tradition poison a legal system. It is an exploration of the power of a lie. It is a myst...

Serendipity is a romantic comedy from British director Peter Chelsom (Hear My Song, The Mighty) that pairs quirky, likable John Cusack with rising star Kate Beckinsale. All of the usual adjectives apply: sweet, cute, delightful, romantic, etc. Alas...

This is only the second time it has happened. By "it," I'm referring to the process by which a science fiction television show is canceled, becomes a cult hit after its removal from the air, and is brought back to life as a major motion picture wi...

The primary goal of Seven Pounds is to make viewers weep, and it pursues that aim with a doggedness that is almost commendable. The film manipulates shamelessly and, despite defying logic with its contrivances and unconvincing character portrayals...

Had Seventh Son been released in the 1980s, it would have been deemed an adequate - perhaps even good - fantasy adventure. However, in the three decades since Conan the Barbarian and Dragonslayer defined the genre's best big screen attempts, ther...

Shall We Dance? proves that Japanese film makers can fashion charming, feel-good movies every bit as effective as their Hollywood counterparts. Unlike the Australian comedy, Strictly Ballroom, which used ballroom dancing competitions as arenas f...

Shall We Dance? is a remake of the 1997 Japanese feature by the same name. Penned and directed by Masayuki Suo, that film was an unexpected pleasure - a feel-good feature that wasn't weighed down by the unnecessarily cloying melodrama and manipula...

Since they burst upon the motion picture scene with Dumb and Dumber, the Farrelly Brothers, Bobby and Peter, have been known as the Kings of Vulgar Comedy. So, given the Farrellys' reputation and a title with the word "shallow" in it, one might ea...

The Shallows is almost a good movie. It misses by this much (hold thumb and index finger apart by an inch). For 75 of its 85 minutes, it’s a gripping woman-against-nature tale with tough, determined Nancy (Blake Lively) facing her own infirmiti...

Note: I consider this review to be “spoiler-lite.” Although there are no overt revelations of things that can’t be learned by scanning published cast lists or watching the trailer, if you don’t want to know anything about the movie, co...